Is adopting open source to go digital a good idea?

Eighty six per cent of survey respondents highlighted reducing cost/improving efficiency as one of their key business initiatives within the next 12 months, the findings showed.PTI | Updated: January 24, 2017, 09:41 IST

NEW DELHI: Indian IT decision makers are turning to open source to drive digital innovation to support business with new capabilities, according to a study.

Fifty one per cent of respondents reported that their organisations have implemented open source solution while 49 per cent of respondents plan to expand/implement open source solutions within the next 12 months, said open source solutions provider Red Hat which conducted the study with market research firm Forrester Consulting.

"The power of participation and collaboration of open source is no longer just an IT initiative but has become a top business priority for many enterprises in India," said Rajesh Rege, Managing Director, Red Hat, India, in a statement.

Eighty six per cent of survey respondents highlighted reducing cost/improving efficiency as one of their key business initiatives within the next 12 months, the findings showed.

Fifty three per cent of respondents use open source to both support business innovation with new capabilities and to engage in an open ecosystem of innovation partners.

"Respondents from India anticipate that their organisation's use of open source will increase in Internet of Things by 45 per cent whereas 43 per cent believe that open source will help increase their agile hybrid Cloud infrastructure, application development and DevOps environments," the study noted.

The study surveyed 455 CIOs and senior IT decision makers from nine countries in Asia Pacific.

Subscribe ETCFO Newsletter

They can also be a key intermediary between businesses in the shadow economy and those in the formal economy helping firms to manage their affairs, legalise and “come out of the shadows” says Director of Professional Insights, ACCA, Maggie McGhee.

Robin Banerjee, Managing Director and Executive Director, Caprihans India Ltd, a subsidiary of Bilcare Ltd and author of the book, Who Cheats and How? Scams, Frauds and the Dark Side of the Corporate World, talks to ET CFO about the best fraud management practices and the CFO’s role in these.